The Black Caps face South Africa in Tauranga in day one of their first test. Photo: John Cowpland / www.photosport.nz
The intriguing home summer of cricket continues in Aotearoa tomorrow, when the Black Caps face South Africa in Tauranga in day one of their first test.
The two tests stand as probably their best chance to beat the Proteas in a series, something the Black Caps have never achieved in almost a century of trying.
That's because the Cricket South Africa have chosen, for reasons best known to themselves, to send a severely weakened Proteas team to New Zealand. Barely any of the names on their team sheet would even register, let alone strike any sort of fear, with cricket fans here.
So, while it may end up not feeling as great as an accomplishment as it should, it is worth looking back at the history of the two sides and just why one of them has completely dominated proceedings since 1931.
Beginnings
It took New Zealand 10 tests over a 30-year period to finally notch a win over South Africa, then called the Springboks. Before then, two inbound tours by South Africa resulted in comfortable test wins for them, but in those days New Zealand wasn't beating anybody, anyway.
The Bob Blair test
One of those losses has gone down as one of the most famous and tragic moments in NZ sporting history, though. The second test in Johannesburg was another heavy defeat, but is remembered for the acts of Bob Blair, who came out to bat after his fiancée had been killed earlier that day in the Tangiwai Disaster. In a very fitting gesture, NZ Cricket have unveiled the Tangiwai Shield, which the winner of this current series will be presented with.
The new Tangiwai Shield. Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
Breakthrough in '62
After a 30 run loss in the first test and draw in the second, history was made in Cape Town when New Zealand won by 72 runs. It wasn't just the first test victory over South Africa, it was also the first ever test win on foreign soil. Zin Harris, father of Chris, top scored with 101 in the first innings, while Frank Cameron picked up 5-48. The series ended up drawn 2-2, with John Reid scoring 1915 runs on the tour.
A long layoff
After another drawn series the following summer in 1963-64, New Zealand and South Africa didn't play each other again for another 30 years. The ICC was one of the first sporting bodies to exclude apartheid South Africa from official competition, in 1970, and they were not readmitted until 1992.
Smoke signals
By the time they did meet again, the sport had been completely transformed thanks to limited overs cricket and huge broadcasting money. New Zealand were in a roller coaster period in terms of results too, with the first test of the 1994-95 tour being a resounding 137 run victory - which was then followed by eight and seven wicket losses. However, the tour is mostly remembered for the suspension of Dion Nash, Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hart for smoking weed thanks to Danny Morrison narking on them.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming in 1994. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Huge numbers
In the 2000-01 series, the Proteas only batted one innings in the first two tests and still scored 1577 runs across the three-test series. The main beneficiaries of New Zealand's harmless bowling attack were Daryll Cullinan and Herschelle Gibbs, who both helped themselves to unbeaten double centuries.
Years of desolation
An excellent nine wicket win at Eden Park in 2004, thanks to an 11-wicket haul from Chris Martin, would stand as the last time the Black Caps would taste victory for quite a while. That series was drawn 1-1 but the Proteas would claim the nine wins in the next 15 tests, with one of the lowlights for the Black Caps when they were hammered by 358 runs and an innings and 59 runs in 2007.
Current Black Caps coach Gary Stead in action, 1999 / 2000. Photo: Photosport
Nadir
However, the most embarrassing result came in 2013, when the Black Caps were rolled for 45 in the first innings of their test in Cape Town. Vernon Philander took 5-7 while Kane Williamson top scored with 13, on the way to another innings win for the Proteas.
So close
Matt Henry took 7-23 - the fourth best bowling figures by a New Zealander in test cricket. Photo: Photosport
That shocker of a result marked a period of introspection and eventual revival for the Black Caps, culminating in them being crowned inaugural World Test Champions in 2021. However, they had to wait till the following summer for a win over the Proteas, hammering them by an innings and 276 runs at Hagley Oval thanks to 7-23 for Matt Henry in the first innings and 5-35 by Tim Southee in the second. The Black Caps looked set to finally win a series against the Proteas, but the South Africans bounced back in the second test, stunning the hosts with a 198 run win.